The Escape Attempt
by evieeden
Summary: All Leah wanted to do at Sam and Emily's wedding was run. Advent story written for 8th December.


**Happy 8****th**** December everyone. Here's today's advent story for you all. This is one of my favourites from this year so far so I hope you enjoy it.**

**Big thanks to the amazing idealskeptic. Without her, this whole story would be a mess right now. As always, I do not own Twilight.**

**The Escape Attempt**

Standing in one of the back rooms of the rec centre, I assessed all possible escape routes.

There was the door to the corridor, of course, but I could see that half the reservation had already shown up for the wedding and were mingling outside. In my bright pink bridesmaid dress with my hair puffed up into ridiculous curls, I'd never get past them all; I was far too conspicuous. The same went for the huge sliding window in the room. At least if I walked out the door I wouldn't look as guilty as I would if I were caught hanging halfway out of the rec centre.

There was a third option though.

This room had a bathroom attached, and that bathroom had a window. Granted the window was located near the ceiling and was significantly smaller than the one in this room, but it had one thing going for it that this one didn't – it backed onto the forest.

If I could climb up and then wriggle through the tiny gap, then I was home free. As soon as I was out of reaching distance of the pack then no-one would be able to catch me. There were definite benefits to being the fastest.

Just as I was formulating my plan, the door swung open and Emily bustled in, the huge skirt of her dress nearly getting stuck in the frame.

"Oh, Lee-Lee, you're ready. Wonderful." She beamed at me. "You look so amazing."

Gritting my teeth at the familiar nickname, I forced a painful smile onto my face.

My mother and my aunt had both pleaded with me to put my anger aside and agree to be Emily's Maid of Honour, as I had previously consented to before I had phased for the first time and learnt about imprinting and my cousin's role in Sam's defection. Rumours about myself and Emily had circulated around both reservations ever since Sam had thrown me over and now was a chance for the two families to publicly bury the hatchet.

I hadn't wanted to, but as Seth had candidly put it, "How else are you going to show people that you're not bitter anymore?"

He had a point.

I had been so angry at first over the betrayal, so resentful and hurt and confused that I had driven family, friends and everyone else away. Once I had finally come to terms with the imprinting and with turning into a wolf, it was to find that everyone else had moved on while I was struggling with my pain.

It hurt to be left behind.

Weirdly - or perhaps not so oddly – it had been the pack who had stepped up for me, offering me the support I needed, despite how horrible I had been to most of them in the past.

I was more grateful to them than they would ever know for stepping up and putting the past behind them.

My gratitude, however, did not extend to my ex-Alpha.

I wasn't in love with Sam anymore. I didn't even hate him or Emily like I had. I understood now... Well, as much as I was able to or wanted to. Imprinting had robbed them both of choice, just as it had torn my fiancé away from me.

I had been angry. I had worked through it. I was over it.

However, there was a distinct difference between forgiving Sam and Emily and wanting to celebrate their matrimonial union in all its pink-tulle splendour.

Emily, in the meantime, hadn't even noticed that I wasn't paying that much attention to her and was wittering on about flowers or guests or some other wedding crap.

"...and I'm so glad that they travelled down because it just wouldn't have been the same without them."

I grunted in agreement and she focused on me again, teetering over to me in her unfamiliar heels and grasping my arms.

"Oh, Lee-Lee. I'm so glad you're here." She dragged me into a hug and then took a deep breath, flapping her hands in front of her face. "I'm so happy I could cry." She sniffed and then grinned expectantly at me.

This was clearly my cue to say something, so I unclenched my teeth.

"I'm very happy for you."

"Oh." She flapped her hands again. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that. I'm so glad that we moved past... everything... and that you're here. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Nostalgia made me smile faintly at her.

In many ways, she was still the same Emily who had been my best friend all through my childhood. A lump rose to my throat, however, as I acknowledged that those days were over. This wedding was almost the climax of that – the last time that we would be the way we were.

Or as close to it as we were ever going to get.

This was the last thing I would ever do for both Emily and Sam. After this, I was done, and I hoped that they'd recognise that.

I could only be thankful that Jacob had taken over as Alpha last year, sparing me from any more orders from Sam.

Emily was talking again. "This will now be the most perfect day ever. I get to marry the man I love with you standing by my side, Lee-Lee." She crushed me into a hug again before swivelling to examine her appearance in the mirror on the wall. "This is exactly how it's meant to be – all of us together. I mean, I know things were difficult before..." Her voice trailed off before she spoke brightly again. "But now it seems like maybe it was all meant to be in the first place."

My burgeoning feelings of goodwill disappeared. My jaw clenched.

All meant to be?

My fiancé leaving me, my father dying and myself and my baby brother turning into wolves – all '_meant to be_' just so Emily could get the happy ending _she_ wanted?!

Right. Now I was determined to escape.

Forcing my teeth apart, I tried to sound normal.

"Emily, I need to go to the bathroom for a second. There's still time, right?"

She finally pulled away from her reflection and looked at me. "Of course. Sam's not even due to arrive for another ten minutes." She studied me for a moment. "I need to run and check that Claire's not thrown her flowers everywhere already anyway."She paused just before she left. "You might want to sort out your eyes too while you're in there. Some of your mascara's run."

I forced myself to laugh. "Will do."

She disappeared out the door and I estimated that I had about three minutes to get away before someone came looking for me.

Locking the bathroom door behind me, I hitched my skirt up around my waist and climbed up onto the sink. Leaning across the wall tentatively, I managed to grab the window handle and crank it open. The window itself was a bit narrower than I expected, but if I tipped my head sideways then I was pretty sure I could get through it no problem. For a brief moment I regretted that I couldn't just phase into my wolf to get out. I had no doubts that I would be able to squeeze through the gap with no problems then.

Yanking my shoes off my feet, I tossed them through the window ahead of me and paused to see if anyone had noticed the flying shoes appearing from nowhere. All was silent, so I quickly followed my footwear.

It wasn't the most graceful of exits – part of my dress had got caught on the window lock and I had fallen sideways into the wall – but I was outside, the forest was right in front of me, and now all I had to do was run.

I got about fifty metres beyond the tree line before I crashed face first into a warm body.

Pushing away, I was disgruntled when the figure that had caught me gripped my arms tightly, refusing to let go. Looking up, I met the amused eyes of Paul.

"Going somewhere?" he enquired insolently.

"Goddammit, Paul! Let me go!"

I squirmed in his grasp but there was no escape. I had been caught.

"Nah ah," he sung out. "You're not going anywhere. It's not worth my life if you run."

Spinning me around, he wrapped his arm around my waist. It didn't have quite the grip that his hand on my arm did, but this way it wouldn't look like he was forcibly towing me back to the wedding if anyone saw us returning. Plus I was already at a disadvantage. I might have been faster than anyone else in the pack, capable of outrunning them, but every single one of them, including my brother, Collin and Brady were stronger than me. It was a galling fact. Even now, I could feel the coiled pressure of the muscles in Paul's arm contract, as if to remind me that I had no chance of getting away from him.

Resigning myself to the fact that I was heading back towards the wedding, whether I wanted to go or not, I slumped down, making Paul half-carry me through the forest towards the rec centre.

"How did you know I'd run?" I asked, pouting.

"I didn't," he replied.

When I looked curiously up at him, he smirked.

"Well, I kind of knew," he explained. "But not really."

"Huh?" We were nearly back in public again.

"Leah," Paul began in a condescending tone. "Do you realise just how often in the last month you've thought about walking down the aisle, punching Sam and then legging it from the wedding? It's like your recurring fantasy or something."

He laughed, an annoying braying sound that set my teeth on edge.

"Anyway, I noticed it – hell, everyone noticed it, even Sam – but none of us thought you'd actually go ahead with it."

I frowned. "Why were you lurking in the forest then?"

"Because Bella told me too." His tone of voice softened at the mention of his imprint, his eyes briefly losing focus, and I considered punching him back into reality. "Anyway, Jake and Billy were over for dinner last night and we were talking about how we didn't really think you'd go ahead with it, and she overheard us."

He shrugged.

"Obviously she thought you were more capable of running than we did."

I silently cursed Bella Swan.

I mean, I liked the girl – she was definitely a lot less annoying now she wasn't joined at the hip with the leech anymore – but I really wished that she'd learn to keep her mouth shut.

Paul's arm pressed against my back again and I realised that I'd stopped moving. Reluctantly, I let him direct me back to the party once more.

"So why you then, if Jacob was there too?" I demanded. "Surely this is more of an Alpha duty. You know, keep all his pack members in line."

He laughed again.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," he admitted. "But then Bella pointed out that Jake's not one for fighting dirty. That girl knows you better than you think. She knew that if it was anyone else trying to stop you, you'd beat them all down."

"Wouldn't be much point," I sulked. "You're all stronger than me anyway."

"Oh, don't try that bullshit with me," he chuckled. "You might pretend you're all sweet and delicate, Lee, but given half the chance you'll go right for the balls. Even with Jake. Besides, you hit me, sweetheart, and I'm not going have any compunctions about hitting you back."

He emphasized his words with a flash of teeth, and instead of intimidating me, I found myself laughing.

We were finally clear of the forest now and I could see Bella waiting anxiously by the corner of the centre. Luckily for me, she had found my shoes and picked them up. We reached her within seconds and Paul reached out to wrap her in his other arm.

"Well, look at me," he bragged. "I've got the two prettiest ladies here on my arms." He leaned down to kiss Bella softly. "Well, the prettiest lady and some tramp I found in the woods."

"Paul!" Bella admonished, slapping him with my shoes. "You can't say that. Leah looks gorgeous."

I pulled a face at her. "Nice try, leech lover, but you're already on my list for sending Bozo here after me."

She looked worried for a split second, but then raised her chin. "You would've regretted it eventually if you'd actually done it," she stated confidently.

I thought about it. As much as I wanted to deny her words, I thought about the look that would be on my mom's face if I ran, on the packs' faces and the faces of everyone from the reservation who had witnessed my meltdown.

If I really wanted to prove that I was past all that, then Bella, unfortunately, was right. I would have to stay.

"Give me my shoes, Swan."

It was all the acknowledgement she'd get from me that she was right.

Paul released me as I slid the heels back on and I knew now that I was in the clear. I wasn't going to run and he wasn't going to be forced to chase me.

"Leah! Leah!"

I turned at the sound of someone calling my name only to find my mother hurrying across to me.

"Oh, thank God. You're here. Crisis averted. What are you doing out here?"

She looked from me to Bella and Paul.

"It was getting stuffy inside," I lied. "So I thought I'd come and get a bit of fresh air before the ceremony."

Mom studied my face for minute as if she could find some sign whether I was telling the truth or not. I gave nothing away.

"It is a bit hot inside," she finally conceded. "But we need to hurry back now."

Shooting a rueful glance back towards Paul and Bella, I let myself be dragged back to this wedding for the second time today.

"You had me and Emily worried, you know?" my mom told me. "We couldn't find you and then she said that the bathroom where you were was locked and that you weren't answering. I thought..." My mom shook her head and then laughed at herself. "I don't know what I thought."

Just before we reached the entrance, she turned and pressed her hands against my cheeks.

"I'm so proud of you for doing this, Leah," she said. "I know it hasn't been easy for you, but it means a lot to everyone that you're making this step today."

A lump welled in my throat and I fought the urge to cry and confess everything. It was best that she didn't know how close I'd gotten to leaving. Thank God for Paul and Bella stopping me.

With a kiss on my cheek, she left me back in the manic hands of Emily.

Five minutes later, I wanted to run again.


End file.
